Extraordinarily Easy Bunting

I have fallen for bunting totally and utterly. It just has so many uses! Outdoors, indoors, celebrations, brightening a room.. We use some lovely bunting when we run our textile workshops, but I decided to do a very very easy make post for bunting for those of you who are, so far, sewing machine less. And I can use it to brighten up my lovely studio!


This is when you get to reward yourself for keeping (hoarding!) all those scraps of fabric. Using them up is so satisfying! Your fabrics don't need to match, just make sure you like how they all look together. You can use plain fabrics, printed or a mixture of both. If you are using only plain fabrics be sure to use a playful mix of colors.


Using bias binding is the first great tip. You can get it in any good haberdashery. Wonderful word 'haberdashery'. Be sure to buy a color that works with your fabrics and the right length that you want. I bought 2 and half metres for this project.Now you need to fold the width in half while ironing it, keeping all the edges on the inside. The binding I bought happened to have some linen in it so I could fold it by hand first before ironing. This isn't a must.


Make a template out of paper or card as a guide for your fabric triangles. Be sure that when you fold it in half the 2 sides are the same. Make the most of your fabric and make one tip longer, this will be the end that hangs down.


Once you have drawn around your bunting, with a light pencil or tailors chalk its time for tip number 2. Crimping scissors! They create a lovely zigzag edge that is very pretty and doesn't fray. They are more expensive than normal scissors but they are well worth it.
However cut the top of your triangles with a straight edge, as they will be inside the binding and a straight edge will be easier to catch when stitching.


At this point place your first triangle inside your folded binding to check that your triangle is a size you like, a good check before you cut out the rest of your triangles.


Remember to make the most of your fabric, place your triangles side by side and as close to each other as possible.


Very satisfying cutting with crimping scissors.


Lots of lovely triangles. I got slightly excited and cut too many, but these can be used for my next strand of bunting!


Decide on the order of your fabric triangles and how much space you would like between them. Be sure that it is the same between each one. Place each triangle right up inside the binding and pin it down with a couple of pins. It's lovely deciding on the order of your fabrics. I loved using this bicycle print of mine, next to fabric left over from Laura Ashley curtains.


Now for the hand stitching if you are sewing machineless. Choose thread that matches your binding, knot the end and insert it up into the binding so the knot is hidden.


You are now going to stitch neat diagonal tacking stitches the whole way along the binding, (it's up to whether to do the strands at the beginning and end of the binding) . This stage you need to do while chatting or watching a film so it doesn't become tedious. You can relax but still be productive. And you will have some fabulous bunting as a result! Do use it for a celebration of any kind!